Time controlled cover lock for clothes washers and the like



March 13, 1956 J. 1.. KNIGHT 2,733,072

TIME CQNTRQLLED COVER LOCK F OR CLOTHES WASHERS AND THE LIKE- Filed Sept. 4, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l '1IIill/IIllllIl/llIl/IIIIiI/lin James L. K ght M by WM His Abbot-neg.

March 13, 1956 J. KNIGHT 2,738,072

TIME CONTROLLED COVER LOCK FOR CLOTHES WASHERS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 4, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor: James L. Kn ighb,

H is Atbor'ne United States Patent TIME CONTROLLED COVER LOCK FOR CLOTHES WASHERS AND THE LIKE James L. Knight, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application September 4, 1952, Serial No. 307,935

2 Claims. (Cl. 21063) The present invention relates to machines such as clothes washers wherein during certain operations it is desirable in the interest of safety to lock the machine cover closed. It is well adapted for use with clothes washing machines of the type wherein the washing is done in a spin basket, the basket being rotated at relatively high speed to extract the water from the clothes being washed, and it is in connection with such a machine that I have elected to illustrate my invention. However, the invention as to certain broader aspects is not limited necessarily to clothes washing machines but may be used wherever found applicable.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved time controlled cover locking means for a clothes washing machine or the like which is simple in structure, reliable in operation and capable of being provided at low cost, and for a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention attention is directed to the following specification and to the claims appended thereto.

According to my invention, when carried out in connection with a clothes washing machine of the spin basket type, I provide in the spin circuit of the electric motor which rotates the spin basket a switch which is closed and held closed by the washing machine cover when the cover is moved to closed position; and in connection therewith I provide a cover locking means which is actuated to locking position by the closing of the cover switch and the spin circuit and is held in locked position for a predetermined period of time after the spin circuit is opened, the period being sufficient to permit the spin basket to stop or substantially stop rotating. As a time control means I prefer to use a time delay of the bimetal type for actuating the locking means, the bimetal being actuated by a heating winding in the spin circuit. However, other suitable means may be used such as a time delay relay in the spin circuit.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a sectional view, partly broken away, of the upper portion of a clothes washing machine of the spin basket type embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a part of the machine shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cover locking means shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a modification; Fig. 5 is a wiring diagram, and Fig. 6 is a side view, partly in section of a washing machine embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawing, Figs. 1 to 3, and 6, 1 indicates the outer casing of the machine, 2 the tub, 3 the spin basket and 4 the agitator. The top wall 5 of the machine has a filling opening 6, the defining wall of which is shaped to provide a ledge 7 on which rests a cover 8, the cover being hinged on the ledge at one edge as is indicated at 9. The structure so far described is to be taken as typical of any suitable machine structure wherein the agitator 4 is operated by the washing machine motor for washing the clothes after which the spin basket is rotated to extract the water from the clothes. Such machines are known and their structure and operation well understood.

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For locking cover 8 closed there is provided a locking lever 10 pivoted in a flexible grommet 11 which is mounted in an opening in the upper portion of tub 2. The inner end of lever 10 is adapted to engage a hook 12 which is attached to cover 8 and which, when the cover is closed, projects down through an opening 13 in ledge 7 to a position beneath the ledge. The outer end of lever 10 is fixed to the free end of a U-shaped bimetal strip 14, the other end of which is mounted on a bracket 15 supported on a strap 16 attached to outer casing 1. The arrangement is such that when bimetal strip 14 is heated its free end moves to actuate lever 10 in a direction to bring it into engagement with hook 12 to lock cover 8 in closed position, as is well shown in Fig. 3. When cool, its free end stands in a position wherein lever 10 is out of engagement with hook 12. For heating bimetal strip 14 there is provided a heating winding 17 supported on bracket 15 adjacent the strip. Mounted on a strap 18 attached to ledge 7 beneath the ledge is a switch 19, the operating button 20 of which projects up through an open ing in ledge 7 to a position where it is engaged by cover 8 when the cover is moved to closed position. Switch 19 may be of any suitable structure. It is biased to open position and is closed by cover 8 and held closed thereby when the cover is moved to closed position.

The cover-operated switch 19 and the bimetal time delay heating winding 17 are both in the motor spin circuit, the heating winding being either in parallel or in series with the motor. Accordingly, the spin basket can be rotated only when the cover is in closed position to complete the spin circuit; and when the spin circuit is thus com pleted the circuit to the heating winding 17 beats bimetal strip 14 causing it to move lever 10 to locking position to lock cover 8 closed. When the spin circuit is opened thus opening the circuit through winding 17, the cover is still held in closed, locked position and is not released until sufficient time elapses for bimetal strip 14 to cool down to an extent such that the locking lever 10 is moved from engagement with book 12. This time is made to correspond substantially to the time required for the spin basket to cease rotating which means that after the spin circuit is opened the operator cannot open cover 8 until a predetermined time has elapsed. This time may be made to vary to suit the operation of the particular machine with which the invention is used by suitably designing the several time control parts.

My invention may be used in connection with a clothes washing machine wherein the spin circuit is closed manually or with one wherein it is closed by a timer mechaanism as in the case of automatic clothes washing machines. In Fig. 5 it is shown in connection with a timer mechanism for an automatic clothes washing machine. In Fig. 5, 21 indicates a motor-driven cycle control timer of suitable construction which controls circuits to the washing machine motor 22 to efiect first the closing of a washing circuit through motor 22 to actuate agitator 4 for a predetermined period of time and then the closing of a spin circuit through motor 22 to efiect spinning of spin basket 3. Such timer mechanisms for automatic clothes washing machines are known. I have illustrated diagrammatically only as much of such a mechanism as is required for an understanding of my invention. The spin circuit is indicated at 23. In it is door switch 19, heating winding 17, motor 22 and a spin switch 24 which is a part of timer 21 and is closed by the timer for the spin operation. The main circuit switch is indicated at 25, and another operating circuit, for example, the washing circuit, is indicated at 26. Assuming that cover 8 is closed, thus closing cover switch 19, then when the timer closes spin switch 24 a circuit is closed through motor 22 for spinning basket 3 and at the same time heater winding 17 is connected in circuit to effect locking of the cover in closed position. The heater winding has heating capacity such that the locking action takes place quickly; for example within a few seconds of time. When spin switch 24 opens at the end of the spin period, the spin circuit is opened but the cover is held in locked position as already explained until bimetal strip 14 cools down, this being the time required for the spin basket to come to a stop. Thus, it will be seen that at the beginning of the spin operation the cover is quickly locked shut and is held locked until the end of the spin operation and for a predetermined period thereafter so that the operator cannot open the cover of the machine.

In Fig. 4 is shown a modification wherein lever is operated by a solenoid winding 30 in the spin circuit which when energized operates a plunger 31 connected to lever 10 in a direction to move the lever to locking position against the action of a biasing spring 33. Return movement of the plunger is retarded by a timing dashpot 32 connected to plunger 31, the dashpot being provided with an inwardly opening check valve 34 and a return discharge opening the effective area of which may be regulated by valve screw 35. Otherwise, the arrangement may be similar to that of Figs. 1 to 3 and 5. When the spin circuit is closed, solenoid winding 30 is energized to move lever 10 to locking position in which position it is held as long as the spin circuit remains closed. When the spin circuit is opened the plunger will move under the retarding action of the dashpot to again unlock the cover, the dashpot being timed for the desired amount of time delay between the opening of the spin circuit and the release of the cover.

It will be noted that the cover switch 19 is in the spin circuit only and is not in any other circuit such as, for example, the wash circuit. This arrangement is of advantage in a washing machine as it enables the user to open the cover at any time except during spinning to add or remove clothes, to add soap or for other reasons. On the other hand, it insures that the cover is locked shut during the spin period, this being a period during which an operator might be injured by opening the cover and coming in contact with the rapidly rotating spin basket, and that it cannot be again opened until the spin circuit has been opened for a period long enough to permit of the spin basket coming to a stop.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a clothes washing machine or the like, a casing having an opening, a spin basket in the casing, clothes washing means within said basket, an electric motor for spinning the basket and operating the washing means selectively, a cover for said opening, a cycle control for causing the machine to perform the desired sequence of operations and including a spin circuit for the motor, a switch in the spin circuit mounted on the casing in a position to be closed by the cover when the cover is in closed position, a locking member for locking the cover in closed position, a bimetallic strip connected to the member for moving it between locking and unlocking positions with respect to said cover, and a heating winding energized with the spin circuit located adjacent said bim'tal strip for heating it to efiect movement of said bimetal to actuate the said locking member into locked position, the thermal mass of said combined bimetal strip and heater maintaining said cover locked following de-energization of said spin circuit and heater during deceleration of said basket.

2. In a clothes washing machine or the like, a centrifugal extraction basket and w shing means within the basket with a motor for operating said"washing means "and rotating said basket at high speed selectively, a casing for the machine having a loading opening therein for access to the basket, a cover for said loading opening, a locking member cooperable with said cover to prevent removal thereof, cycle control means for controlling the machine through the desired sequence of washing and extracting operations including a spin circuit for said motor, a cover operated switch in said circuit closed when said cover is closed, thermo-responsive means operatively connected to said locking member, a heater adjacent said thermo-responsive means, said heater when energized acting to cause said thermo-responsive means to move said locking member to locking position, said cycle control means simultaneously energizing said heater with said spin circuit, and said thermo-responsive means comprising a thermal mass which upon de-energization of said heater and cooling thereof moves said locking member to unlocking position after a time delay.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,203,567 Bartholomew et al. Nov. 7, 1916 1,270,356 Wurster June 25, 1918 1,856,391 Keppler May 3, 1932 2,004,064 Jordan et al. June 4, 1935 2,173,418 Jarreau et al. Sept. 19, 1939 2,513,844 Castner et al. July 4, 1950 2,521,054 Ellis Sept. 5, 1950 2,656,042 Geldhof et al. Oct. 20, 1953 

